Exhausted...

Some things just don't work.

Sometimes things just aren't meant to be.

This week has been exhausting.

Our new foster, Juliana, the poor little 10 pound blind foster dog that we rescued from a shelter in south west Arkansas, went in for a spay and dental cleaning last Friday.  The surgery went well and we collected her on Saturday only to find that they had to remove twenty -- that's 20! -- teeth during the dental.  They were nearly all infected and diseased.

The poor thing can't see and eating must have been excruciating for her.

Monday morning, when she still hadn't had a successful BM (TMI no?) I had to take off and get her back to the vet's office where they pronounced her okay -- just in need of a larger food volume.

That night, I had the monthly meeting of my local group in which I was voted in as President back in January.  I was voted in with everyone knowing that I intended to drive up membership through increased activities and advertising (i.e. a fun retreat and posters).  I have worked my tail end off trying to make sure that the planning for these changes was well thought out (read agonized over) and complete so when I had to involve my fellow board members it would cause the least amount of stress and anxiety.

Anyone know where this is going?

The result of nearly any small change has been loud and boisterous, no venomous, animosity on the part of one other board member and her pal who used to be the president of the group years ago.  This has caused an immeasurable amount of stress and anxiety on my part regarding how to phrase things to calm these types of people.  Usually, I would walk away from this immediately.  I mean, who needs this in their life?  There is enough of this in one's life that one cannot walk away from -- at work, in one's family, etc... -- so why put up with it in what is supposed to be your fun activities?  But, I was elected to lead this group and to try to effect positive changes in its existence.  So I stuck with it.  So Monday night when these two members coordinated a venomous nasty attack designed to embarass me and another board member over, let's be honest, trivial things -- I left more than a little irritated.  And, I think, they came off looking as juvenile as they accused my good friend B of being.

I will not stand for that kind of unprofessionalism and passive aggressive animosity.  As I said before, who needs it?  I have made a decision about how to handle it.  That decision will play out today and I will update with it next week.

Anyway, after a meeting from hell.  R and I arrived home to find this poor puppy that should have been fine nearly non-responsive.  She wouldn't come out of her crate, she could barely walk at all, would not eat, and started having trouble breathing.

We forced a pain pill down her throat and finally got her to lick some Karo syrup from our fingers to get her blood sugar back up and watched over her the entire night.  Tuesday morning she went back to the animal hospital and she's still in there.  They determined she was having a reaction to her internal stitches and was swelling.  They've taken care of most of that by now but as of this morning they're still on watch for a successful BM.  It's now been an entire week since she had one.  Poor puppy.

She should be okay, and when they get things 'moving again' she can come back home.  Let's hope that is sooner rather than later.  She'll come through this because it is meant to be.

On the other hand, the group is about to have a rough time because for me, it was apparently not meant to be.

Now, I'm going to let the ball drop on my decision and then I'm walking away from it all and boarding a plane to go and visit my good friend C. (who taught me to knit in the first place) in southern Georgia for the long weekend.

I hope you have all had an easier week than I.

Good luck with your weekend...

Joseph

Fiber Fever Friday #24

Happy Fiber Fever Friday everyone!

As I mentioned in my last post, we have had a lot going on... And it has not stopped.

Tomorrow we travel to Central Arkansas for a lecture by the Yarn Harlot! -- ...and then we pick up 4 rescue schnauzers for transport to Memphis -- one of which we will keep and foster.

Although early last month I finished those boot socks (Hooray!) and also my first fingering weight two ply yarn (see below), the last two months have been, more or less, knit free.  Seriously.  Since April 7th, I have knit 2.5 rows of a cowl.  That is all.

I have not been spinning either.  I really wish that I had, but... no.

The truth is that I have thrown myself into a new schedule to accommodate daily workouts at the gym before work each day.  So I have been getting up at 5 am, working out until 7:30 and then working until about 4 pm.  By the time I get home, settle the animals down and make dinner, R is home.  We eat, clean up and I have time to do some gym laundry before going to bed at 9 pm.  And then repeat, repeat, repeat...

There are weekends of course, but I can't remember the last one that we had free.  Too many errands, Guild events/work/meetings, house chores, etc...

So I have really only had time to knit at our regular Tuesday night Knit-night.  In the last four of those, I have knit a total of 2.5 rows on a new cowl.  The rest of the time I have been helping other knitters with their knitting issues (2 socks on 2 circs, crazy bad pattern directions, etc...) -- which is fine -- I don't mind doing it -- but it does not make for a productive knit-night for me.

Ugh.

Even when I have a few minutes at home, I find myself filled with a restless energy that will not subside until I go to bed each night.  Although this particular demon sleeps, it does not knit or find knitting soothing.

I don't know where it is, but I have lost my fiber mojo.  If you see it, let me know.


For now, it is Fiber Fever Friday and I want to show you the result of all that hard spinning work I mentioned above:

This is 100% Polwarth fiber dyed by Spirit-trail Fiberworks in the colorway Beach Glass.

As a two ply:

In the end, I got about 440 yards out of the 4 ounces that I spun...  I sent this to my best friend -- the one that taught me to knit and I hope she enjoys knitting with it!

Take it easy people and, as always, Knit Happy!


Joining Linda@Natural Suburbia for Creative Friday and TamisAmis for Finished Object Friday.
Be sure to check them out to see what they have been working on!